Thank you for reading my blog and coming along with me on the journey of my life and how I see it. I never really knew how easy it would be to write when you had something to write about. I have always known that I have a lot of things to say about a lot of different things and it is really gratifying to know that others think so as well.
I need to bring you back to 2009 for a few minutes. Please indulge me while I do that.
As you all know, my car accident was in February that year. The months to follow were very hard and emotional for me. And then Shari got sick and we all know what happened to me after that. But there is something you may not know.
The company I work for has what is called "Pinnacle Club" and to reach Pinnacle Club you need to have a certain level of sales per fiscal year. That year, 2008/09 though all the hardships and everything, I was able to reach Pinnacle Status, which meant being able to go with my peers on a trip - to Vegas.
Brad was able to join me on that trip. It was an amazing three days and it meant so much to be there with Brad, who as you know, I met in Vegas. We did amazing things, like riding in a helicopter over the strip at night, lots of work stuff, but lots of time to spend together as friends.
On the last night the company treated us to an amazing dinner at Manadalay Bay, then off to Lion King and then up to the 64th Floor of THE hotel in the Manadalay to a bar called The Mix. There we had a roped off section, table bottle service and the most amazing view of Las Vegas.
It was a really good night. I just remember always having a drink in my hand, and dancing with Louise, and not having a worry in the world. I drank a lot that night, but never seemed to feel it. It was such a freeing experience to be with your friends feeling safe enough to let go. I will always remember that night.
Now...you are asking...what does that have to with November 2011? I will tell you.
As with 2009, the year of 2011 has had challenges for me in many aspects of my life. I am not going to dwell on them now, but they were (are) there. A couple of weeks ago a few friends on facebook (old skool friends) wanted to plan a small get together. What a great idea, so what was the plan? Well, my friend (many) is Russian and said, "how about a Russian restaurant" experience - and my "Mama's" Vodka.....how could that be bad?
And off we went......
I will come back to the Russian experience later because that was not really the point of this story. The point of this story was that being with people I trusted, in a safe setting, allowed me to feel the same sense of freedom I felt that night in Las Vegas. Free to partake in as many NASTAROVIA shots as I felt like, free to dance, laugh, share with friends. I want to thank my friends that were there with me last night, for allowing me to have such a well deserved good time.
Nastarovia, L'Chaim, to long life, good friendship and good health!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Mall gift cards
For my birthday this year, among many gift cards from book store, clothing stores, etc, I was the lucky recipient of 2 Cadillac fairview gift cards. One I used to buy a new camera bag earlier this year and one I am still using. I noticed when making purchases they make you sign as if it is a credit card. I just signed for the purchases and didn't think anything of it.
Until today.....I was at Visage today (celebrating MEvember with some new makeup) and the sales rep was preparing the receipt confirmed with another rep, "I circle Mastercard on the bill, right?" To which I asked the owner, "if it is considered a credit card transaction does the merchant pay the fee?" Yes....was the answer.
She then said that a lot of stores in the mall are not accepting the mall gift cards anymore for that exact reason. So far at Blacks, Coach, Visage and I think Roots have all let me use my cards.
I think gift cards for a WHOLE mall are great gift ideas, but I have to admit, if I was excited to use my birthday gift at a store in the mall and they told me that they wouldn't accept the mall gift card, I would be pretty ticked off....
Until today.....I was at Visage today (celebrating MEvember with some new makeup) and the sales rep was preparing the receipt confirmed with another rep, "I circle Mastercard on the bill, right?" To which I asked the owner, "if it is considered a credit card transaction does the merchant pay the fee?" Yes....was the answer.
She then said that a lot of stores in the mall are not accepting the mall gift cards anymore for that exact reason. So far at Blacks, Coach, Visage and I think Roots have all let me use my cards.
I think gift cards for a WHOLE mall are great gift ideas, but I have to admit, if I was excited to use my birthday gift at a store in the mall and they told me that they wouldn't accept the mall gift card, I would be pretty ticked off....
Day 4 - a few hours late.....
Yesterday was November 4th....and I didn't want to miss a day of writing but when I tried to express the thoughts I had in my head, it just wasn't happening. But thoughts flow all the time, and at 530am, here I am.
I really just wanted to talk about having a nephew and how different it is than having Zoe and Jaime in my life.
What I love about Zoe and Jaime is...well everything. They are both so smart, and energetic and interesting. They have amazing things to say and conversations are always interesting. The discussion at dinner last night from Jaime was about aunts and uncles and how many she had. It went beyond the scope of her immediate aunts (Lisa, Erin and myself) and her uncles (Sam and Alan) but she started to ask about ALL her aunts and uncles, which got all of us involved remembering the people in our extended family. It was a very interesting conversation and I was very impressed by her.
Zoe has always blown me away. She continues to do so each and every day. I have to keep reminding myself that she is growing up, and it is as such a rapid pace I can't keep up sometimes. She and Jaime and both in Hebrew school and are really embracing it. Zoe has a book on the Hebrew alphabet and we were going over letters, and vowles and words. I am sure that I will learn from her as well. That is exciting to be a part of the learning process.
At Shabbat dinner last night, it was really nice to hear them singing the blessings over the candles and then Zoe took the challah that my mom made and said ha'motzi. It was really nice.
And now....there is Ezra. He is sweet, and charming and I just can't get enough of him. He is smart, and knows so much already at 16 months. I brought him a stuffed dolphin that I received at a trade show and it was so sweet to see him hugging his new friend, and showing it to everyone. He is very engaging and he really lights up my life. I look at him, and I wonder, what is his voice going to sound like? I already know that his laughter is infectious I just want to bottle it up and open it when I need to smile.
Is he going to like arts and crafts like the girls do? He LOVES music and dancing, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO is one of his fave songs from the summer. Will he play soccer or baseball, or will he want to go to dance class? Or both? All I know is I can't wait to watch and see how this unfolds.
I really just wanted to talk about having a nephew and how different it is than having Zoe and Jaime in my life.
What I love about Zoe and Jaime is...well everything. They are both so smart, and energetic and interesting. They have amazing things to say and conversations are always interesting. The discussion at dinner last night from Jaime was about aunts and uncles and how many she had. It went beyond the scope of her immediate aunts (Lisa, Erin and myself) and her uncles (Sam and Alan) but she started to ask about ALL her aunts and uncles, which got all of us involved remembering the people in our extended family. It was a very interesting conversation and I was very impressed by her.
Zoe has always blown me away. She continues to do so each and every day. I have to keep reminding myself that she is growing up, and it is as such a rapid pace I can't keep up sometimes. She and Jaime and both in Hebrew school and are really embracing it. Zoe has a book on the Hebrew alphabet and we were going over letters, and vowles and words. I am sure that I will learn from her as well. That is exciting to be a part of the learning process.
At Shabbat dinner last night, it was really nice to hear them singing the blessings over the candles and then Zoe took the challah that my mom made and said ha'motzi. It was really nice.
And now....there is Ezra. He is sweet, and charming and I just can't get enough of him. He is smart, and knows so much already at 16 months. I brought him a stuffed dolphin that I received at a trade show and it was so sweet to see him hugging his new friend, and showing it to everyone. He is very engaging and he really lights up my life. I look at him, and I wonder, what is his voice going to sound like? I already know that his laughter is infectious I just want to bottle it up and open it when I need to smile.
Is he going to like arts and crafts like the girls do? He LOVES music and dancing, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO is one of his fave songs from the summer. Will he play soccer or baseball, or will he want to go to dance class? Or both? All I know is I can't wait to watch and see how this unfolds.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Innovations
I just recently got a blackberry (finally) much to the chagrin of my Iphone lovin' friends. I just don't really like the touch screen for typing, I like a keyboard. I love bbm and I also love that my iphone lovin' friends can download the Whatsapp for 0.99cents and we can chat as well. I didn't know what I was missing when I didn't have a bb. Now I know what I was missing.....
Same effect when I decided to jump into the world of the PVR - Personal video recorder, DVR, TiVo, whatever you want to call it. Up until 2 years ago, I only had a regular digital box, which was perfectly fine for me - UNTIL I decided to book a trip to California to visit Brad - and my vacation was going to coincide with the season finales of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and a few other shows. THE HORROR! What would it be if I couldn't see the season finales of my favourite shows?
Oh wait....I could just record them....but no, I can't, I don't have a PVR....not anymore....I ordered it from rogers, picked up the new box and away I went. Life has never been the same since....
I know I am sounding dramatic over something such a tv shows, but for someone who enjoys popular culture, daytime shows when you work during the day, night time shows when you want to meet friends for dinner, coffee, whatever....
And let me tell you, I LOVE MY PVR! I can watch the live chat with Regis and Kelly and then delete. I can watch Hot Topics on The View and then delete. I can tape shows that I would not normally want to sit all the way through, but would love to fast forward through the boring parts (yes, that usually means soaps....haha).
Sometimes I save the shows that I really liked or would watch over and over again. That is great....except when your PVR is almost full...then you have to watch and delete, watch and delete. Then there are times like Oprah's life classes, which you want to keep, but they take up too much space. I guess the good thing about Oprah is that we can almost bet that they will be out on DVD soon for purchase.
My mom always has something to say if we make dinner plans or are out when her show(s) are on. I keep telling her to get a pvr box already and she won't miss another show. She hasn't done it yet....I wonder when she will.
What's on your PVR right now? Either saved or scheduled?
Same effect when I decided to jump into the world of the PVR - Personal video recorder, DVR, TiVo, whatever you want to call it. Up until 2 years ago, I only had a regular digital box, which was perfectly fine for me - UNTIL I decided to book a trip to California to visit Brad - and my vacation was going to coincide with the season finales of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and a few other shows. THE HORROR! What would it be if I couldn't see the season finales of my favourite shows?
Oh wait....I could just record them....but no, I can't, I don't have a PVR....not anymore....I ordered it from rogers, picked up the new box and away I went. Life has never been the same since....
I know I am sounding dramatic over something such a tv shows, but for someone who enjoys popular culture, daytime shows when you work during the day, night time shows when you want to meet friends for dinner, coffee, whatever....
And let me tell you, I LOVE MY PVR! I can watch the live chat with Regis and Kelly and then delete. I can watch Hot Topics on The View and then delete. I can tape shows that I would not normally want to sit all the way through, but would love to fast forward through the boring parts (yes, that usually means soaps....haha).
Sometimes I save the shows that I really liked or would watch over and over again. That is great....except when your PVR is almost full...then you have to watch and delete, watch and delete. Then there are times like Oprah's life classes, which you want to keep, but they take up too much space. I guess the good thing about Oprah is that we can almost bet that they will be out on DVD soon for purchase.
My mom always has something to say if we make dinner plans or are out when her show(s) are on. I keep telling her to get a pvr box already and she won't miss another show. She hasn't done it yet....I wonder when she will.
What's on your PVR right now? Either saved or scheduled?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
"Transform and Grow"
In July of this year, several friends of mine went to Israel. They went as part of a women's mission group with an organization called Jewish Women's Renaissance Project (http://www.jwrp.org/) taking back our values. I really didn't want to go to Israel in July so I didn't bother to apply. BUT....while they were there another trip was released for October and my friend Gayla and I decided to apply together.
If you look at the website it is all about Jewish Women, 'girl power', going to Israel to transform and grow and come back as 'sisters' and bring a stronger sense of Judaism back to the community.
"Our mission is to create a Jewish women’s movement that inspires a renaissance of positive values that transforms ourselves, our families, and our communities."
The application said that this trip "was designed primarily for women who have children 18 and younger at home". The organization believes that women have power in the home where it relates to religion, beliefs, etc, and that is fine, I actually agree with that. But what about someone who is currently unmarried and without children. Wouldn't that person be a PERFECT candidate to 'transform and grow' and come back a stronger WOMAN in the Jewish community and ready to take on the challenge of finding a life partner and possibly having children.
That is what I thought, but not the case for the person handling my interview process. I am not going to mention names here, but this person, a Rebbitzn and someone that one would look up to in the community, ended up having no filter in her 'personal' beliefs and in turn, made me feel so inadequate, and an outcast in my own community by not having a spouse or children.
A very wise friend, someone I respect told me very honestly, "Lisa, it is not personal, it is the rules. If you don't meet the criteria set forth in the trip, that is the way it is. It is not a personal attack on you, She is just teling you like it is." That part is very true. Perhaps this person needs a lesson on filtering ones personal thoughts, but never the less. Once I was further enough away from it, I was able to see that.
But that doesn't stop the human side of how I felt.
So, the trip is now almost over, and my friend that I was supposed to go with is on her way home now. I was following her pictures and posts on facebook with happiness for her, but envy and sadness for myself. As much as I wanted to be there with her, it was her time to transform and grow, and hopefully someday I will get the opprotunity to have the same kind of mission as well.
If you look at the website it is all about Jewish Women, 'girl power', going to Israel to transform and grow and come back as 'sisters' and bring a stronger sense of Judaism back to the community.
"Our mission is to create a Jewish women’s movement that inspires a renaissance of positive values that transforms ourselves, our families, and our communities."
The application said that this trip "was designed primarily for women who have children 18 and younger at home". The organization believes that women have power in the home where it relates to religion, beliefs, etc, and that is fine, I actually agree with that. But what about someone who is currently unmarried and without children. Wouldn't that person be a PERFECT candidate to 'transform and grow' and come back a stronger WOMAN in the Jewish community and ready to take on the challenge of finding a life partner and possibly having children.
That is what I thought, but not the case for the person handling my interview process. I am not going to mention names here, but this person, a Rebbitzn and someone that one would look up to in the community, ended up having no filter in her 'personal' beliefs and in turn, made me feel so inadequate, and an outcast in my own community by not having a spouse or children.
A very wise friend, someone I respect told me very honestly, "Lisa, it is not personal, it is the rules. If you don't meet the criteria set forth in the trip, that is the way it is. It is not a personal attack on you, She is just teling you like it is." That part is very true. Perhaps this person needs a lesson on filtering ones personal thoughts, but never the less. Once I was further enough away from it, I was able to see that.
But that doesn't stop the human side of how I felt.
So, the trip is now almost over, and my friend that I was supposed to go with is on her way home now. I was following her pictures and posts on facebook with happiness for her, but envy and sadness for myself. As much as I wanted to be there with her, it was her time to transform and grow, and hopefully someday I will get the opprotunity to have the same kind of mission as well.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Amazing....
Just re-read my post about halloween.
I think I need to use a thesauras and find another word for amazing....it was over used in the previous post.
LOL!!
Suggestions for alternative words for amazing are appreciated!
I think I need to use a thesauras and find another word for amazing....it was over used in the previous post.
LOL!!
Suggestions for alternative words for amazing are appreciated!
NaBloPoMo
So, not only is it Movember to promote awareness to Men's cancers, but I was just made aware from another blogger that it is NaBloPoMo which is National Blog Posting Month. A fellow blogger, and one I follow (http://dawnponders.blogspot.com/) said in honour of this month she is going to try to blog everyday. I think that is a GREAT challenge and I am going to try that as well.
Last night was Halloween as you know. It was in FULL swing in Thornhill Woods. Now that I have my nieces and nephew I spend this night with them. It was so much fun seeing Ezra in his tiger costume and how at first he hated it, but then after a while he didn't want to take it off. And of course...as long as he could enjoy his mini aero bar....he kept saying, "more, more, more".
Zoe was really into it this year. She was a witch and tried very hard during picture taking to make her best "witchy" face. She was in full halloween swing and when it was taking her dad too long to get going, she said, "come on dad, I am getting bored of this..."
Jaime got into the lipstick before she got dressed and looked very sweet as a princess. She was not as excited to go out with the rest of her family. She went out for a bit but was happier home giving out the candy to others.
Then of course we went to our cousin's house - 71 Chopin, where there was Halloween Extravaganza taking place. Spotlights, haunted houses, moving corpses, you name it. They had such a crowd, and it was amazing. They accepted donation for the Yellow Brick House (http://www.yellowbrickhouse.org/english/) and they had a rep there with pamphlets about their organziation. they had a photographer taking pictures with a green screen. It was AMAZING! I saw so many people I knew there. Zoe was so excited. It was amazing to see her eyes open so wide with amazement.
All it all, it was a great halloween, and a great time spent with my family. That is the most important thing of all.
See y'all tomorrow.....
Last night was Halloween as you know. It was in FULL swing in Thornhill Woods. Now that I have my nieces and nephew I spend this night with them. It was so much fun seeing Ezra in his tiger costume and how at first he hated it, but then after a while he didn't want to take it off. And of course...as long as he could enjoy his mini aero bar....he kept saying, "more, more, more".
Zoe was really into it this year. She was a witch and tried very hard during picture taking to make her best "witchy" face. She was in full halloween swing and when it was taking her dad too long to get going, she said, "come on dad, I am getting bored of this..."
Jaime got into the lipstick before she got dressed and looked very sweet as a princess. She was not as excited to go out with the rest of her family. She went out for a bit but was happier home giving out the candy to others.
Then of course we went to our cousin's house - 71 Chopin, where there was Halloween Extravaganza taking place. Spotlights, haunted houses, moving corpses, you name it. They had such a crowd, and it was amazing. They accepted donation for the Yellow Brick House (http://www.yellowbrickhouse.org/english/) and they had a rep there with pamphlets about their organziation. they had a photographer taking pictures with a green screen. It was AMAZING! I saw so many people I knew there. Zoe was so excited. It was amazing to see her eyes open so wide with amazement.
All it all, it was a great halloween, and a great time spent with my family. That is the most important thing of all.
See y'all tomorrow.....
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